Twenty coastal communities in the oil-producing areas of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have threatened to boycott the 2027 general elections if the Federal Government and the Ondo State Government fail to protect them from the devastating ocean surge threatening their communities.
The communities made the declaration in a statement issued after a peaceful protest to the Ilaje Local Government Secretariat in Igbokoda, where they demanded urgent shoreline protection measures, including the construction of sea walls, groynes and other coastal defence infrastructure.
The protest followed a press conference held in Ayetoro, the community worst affected by the advancing Atlantic Ocean. The demonstration was organised by the Coalition of Ilaje Ravaged Communities with advocacy support from the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
Residents of Ayetoro, Awoye, Mese, Gbagira, Jiringho, Ilowo, Ilepete, Idiogba, Oroto, Alagbon, Erunona, Olotu, Yaye, Womitenren, Ogboti, Lepe, Ehinmore, Abetobo, Odun-Oyinbo and Abereke said the ocean surge had destroyed homes, schools, health facilities, places of worship, fishing grounds and other critical infrastructure.
According to the coalition, Ayetoro has lost about 85 per cent of its landmass to coastal erosion, while several neighbouring communities now face similar threats.
The protesters called on the Federal Government to declare the Ilaje coastline a national disaster zone, release emergency intervention funds and provide immediate humanitarian assistance, including food, potable water, medicines and temporary shelters for displaced families.
The coalition also urged the Ondo State Government to sign a memorandum of understanding with the affected communities and publish a 90-day action plan within 30 days of receiving their demands.
Declaring, “No project, no vote,” the coalition warned that coastal communities would no longer support politicians who fail to address their environmental challenges, insisting the proposed election boycott was a demand for accountability rather than a rejection of democracy.
The traditional ruler of Ayetoro, Oba Olorumbe Ojagbohunmi, lamented that the community had endured more than two decades of ocean encroachment despite repeated appeals to government.
He said the community loses at least 50 buildings annually to the sea and that only about seven of its original 45 streets remain.
The monarch also alleged that two multi-billion naira federal shoreline protection contracts had failed to deliver the expected intervention.
CAPPA’s Associate Director, Ogunlade Olamide, described the situation as an issue of climate justice and environmental accountability, urging all levels of government to urgently protect the affected communities and compensate them for decades of environmental degradation.
General Coordinator of the Coalition of Ilaje Ravaged Communities, Comrade Akingboye Thompson, described residents as “climate refugees in their own country,” noting that many had lost their homes and livelihoods to the encroaching Atlantic Ocean.
The coalition further highlighted recurring flooding in Igbokoda due to poor drainage infrastructure and called for the immediate construction of a modern drainage system to safeguard the local government headquarters and surrounding communities.
